Law student who saved people during deadly yoga studio shooting is given $30,000 scholarship

The president of Florida State University and some members of the school’s Board of Trustees have committed $30,000 of their own money to cover expenses for a second-year law student who helped save people during a deadly shooting at a yoga studio this month.

Joshua Quick was at the studio Hot Yoga Tallahassee on Nov. 2 when a gunman opened fire, killing two people and wounding five. The shooter later killed himself.

Quick told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he grabbed the gun from the shooter when it jammed, which gave people time to escape, and hit him with it, though the shooter was able to get the gun back and hit Quick with it. Quick said he jumped up, found a broom and began hitting the shooter with it. Several people escaped while Quick was fighting with the shooter.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that FSU President John Thrasher and members of the Board of Trustees committed $30,000 for Quick to use on law school expenses. Estimated 2019-2020 tuition for Florida residents at FSU’s law school is $20,640, and most students, even if they are originally from out of state, can declare residency after the first year to get the in-state tuition. (For out-of-state residents, tuition and fees is estimated at $40,650.)

In 2011, Thrasher, then a powerful state senator, played a key role in blocking a bill backed by the National Rifle Association that would have allowed concealed weapons on school campuses.

But Thrasher’s appointment to the FSU presidency was controversial. Thrasher was a conservative power broker in the state legislature, directing millions of dollars to FSU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree. He was selected by the Board of Trustees in 2014 over three other finalists who were academic leaders at other schools. Thrasher is a lawyer and former lobbyist. Students protested his selection for reasons including his links to the conservative Koch brothers.